SANBORNTON CHOOSES KOHA AND LIBLIME

by Cab Vinton, Director
Sanbornton Public Library
(603) 286-8288
http://splib.pbwiki.com/

Thanks to funding provided by a generous Sanbornton couple, the Sanbornton Public Library will soon be making the leap into the digital era. This fall the library will complete the process of migrating from the card catalog to an online one accessible from any Internet-enabled computer.

The library and LibLime, the leader in open-source solutions for libraries, announced the library has selected Koha for its first integrated library system (ILS). The library's target "go live" date was October 1st.

Koha will replace the library's card catalog and a number of other tools and processes with their roots in the 19th century. An ILS serves as the technological backbone of the library and performs a wide variety of tasks, including instant online searching for items and back-end administrative functions such as inventory control.

The open-source software license specifies that the application and source code are free to use, modify, and redistribute as long as all uses, modifications, and redistributions are similarly licensed. A worldwide network of programs is now working together to improve the software.

This fall, patrons will be able to use any Internet-enabled computer to search for materials, view the status of items, place holds, and create personalized lists of library materials. The catalog will also include enhanced content for many titles, including book summaries, tables of contents, book covers, and author profiles.

The system will be a huge time-saver for library staff. Cataloging new items, handling overdue materials and generating statistics reports are just three areas where we will see major gains in functionality and efficiency.

The library's database of 18,000 items will be hosted off-site at one of LibLime's secure data centers. The library has also contracted with LibLime for data migration, support and customization services on our Koha system.

Sanbornton will become the first Koha-powered library in New Hampshire (unless New Durham beats us to the punch this fall!). We're delighted to be joining the growing number of libraries making the switch to open source software. The core principles of open source - free and equal access, collaboration, and resource-sharing across boundaries - are perfectly aligned with those of librarianship.

But more importantly, Koha and LibLime were the clear winners on the basis of sound business criteria. The package is undeniably cheaper than any comparable proprietary product. But it also offers features, reliability, and adaptability that we believe traditional vendors will struggle to keep up with, especially as the product continues to evolve.

Under the open source model, if Koha does not provide a desired feature, we can sponsor its development on our own, or do so cooperatively with other interested libraries. We even have the option of using someone other than LibLime.

With traditional vendors of proprietary software, there's an annual license fee for similar research and development, but clients have little or no control over where their money goes, and even then, libraries can wait years for even simple requests to be implemented.

So what will become of the card catalog? We understand that we have patrons who aren't comfortable with computers, so we'll keep the old system for those who prefer it. We just won't be adding anything new to it.

In the meantime, the town should be proud that a cutting-edge system is finding a home here in Sanbornton. Sometimes small organizations are indeed able to innovate more easily than larger ones. Our hope is that this milestone in our history will reinvigorate community interest in the library while serving as an example to other New Hampshire libraries about what is possible with open source software.

Our thanks go out again to the donors who have made this possible.